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Are logistics facilities to abide by SQF practices?

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rosebud

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 02:19 AM

I have worked for a logistics company for the last 1.5 years and over my time here I have seen too many things. I do not want to consume the products that we are moving now.

 

We are a cold storage facility with both freezers that are below -8F and coolers that are around 30F.

 

For starters, the company has an extremely high turnover and offers very little sick time. Everyone is constantly sick, and management doesn't send anyone home. It basically show up sick or lose your job and many of these people that are employed came from central America. Everyone is constantly wiping their running noses on their gloves. No one comes in direct contact with the food, mostly just corrugated cardboard boxes.

 

Not all of the food is vacuum sealed.

 

The next concern I have is lack of training. When I was being trained I asked what all these acronyms stood for on the companies SOP (standard operating procedure). I specially askexd what SQF stands for and I was told by my supervisor that is probably stood for Square Feet? I had to do my own research outside of work to find out this stands for safe quality food.

 

Our receivers and loaders are not taking temperatures of the product as it comes in or goes out. They are all forging temperatures on the paperwork as we are tracked in a computer system. If your percentages dip too low, you lose your incentive bonus, and you are spoken to that your percentages are low and to speed things up. So people are cutting corners as a result of this style of management.

 

We are a dedicated facitlity dealing the logistics side of things, and the meat plant is right accross the street. Our facility is over capacity and we are loosing capacity monthly as racking is constantly being hit and taken out of service. We have a massive yard full of reefer trailers as a result of this. We are not supposed to be letting anything sit outside for more than a week suposedly. This isn't the case, sometimes stuff isn't received in for weeks. Most of the time a trailer is only received in so we can ship stuff out.

 

Another concern is this black dust that accumulates throughout our facility, it lands on everything, its everywhere. If you pull a pallet that has beennsitting for 6-12 months, it will have a 1/16" of this black dust on it if not more. If you look up at the ceilings and white PVC plumbing you can see years of this build up. The top sides of the pipe are pure black.

 

There is constantly condensation dropping down from our ammonia evaporators. One of them on a particular isle will flood the entire isle with water. None of the water rises higher that 1/4" as it spreads out. Another one we place a big trash can under to catch the water.

 

Tobacco, we are not supposed to have any tobacco on the floor. I am not sure if this is just a company policy or this goes further. Every smoker carries their cigs on the floor. Some people have and use chewing tobacco on the floor. Supervisors spit their stuff in the trash cans next to their desks or in empty bottles. I was in their office the other day and USDA was coming in to sign off some Export products. The USDA guy saw it and the supervisor snuck it into his pocket. The USDA guy was like oh I've upgraded to cigars now. But since I was in the room it was awkward and I am sure the supervisor was iffy as I was in the room and the USDA guy didn't do anything...

 

There was one time, the toilets wouldn't flush, there was no running water, so no one could wash their hands and the toilets were not being flushed. It was extremely unpleasant but I wasn't aware of my rights and the laws at the time. 6+ hours went by before we had any water. When it did come back on the water coming from the sinks were an off brown color.

 

When someones fired, their PPE is reissued to new hires, uncleaned and unsanitized.

basically I have been so sickend by this I do not want to consume meat companies products ever again. And unfortunately they produce stuff for all major grocers accross the nation.



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rosebud

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 02:25 AM

I had to use my bottled water from my lunch to wash my hands. I was so upset that I was working in these conditions.



MsMars

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 01:05 PM

Our facility has a warehouse directly connected and is SQF-certified.  It is sometimes a stretch trying to explain basic GMP's to new (and sometimes veteran) warehouse personnel who are unfamiliar with proper food handling procedures and the "whys" of various rules, but it definitely can be done -  with proper support from upper management. Sounds like you may need to start at the top if you wish to become/maintain SQF certification.



Scampi

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 01:23 PM

Or RUN run away!!!!!!!!

 

You've got a momentous challenge on your hands. Perhaps an anonymous call to your certifiying body??? Or state/federal inspector? 

 

Most producers work very hard to make a safe wholesome finished product and are trusting your facility to continue that care. I think you have an ethical dilemma here. Sorry, but as a food safety professional, you have an obligation to the public. If you don't think you can enact change from within, then allow someone from outside the company to take charge


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


rosebud

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 03:36 PM

I am finding new employement, whom should I reach out to about this?



rosebud

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 03:46 PM

I should also note that we receive in byproducts from the meat plant that are used for phamaceutical uses.



Scampi

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Posted 14 March 2018 - 03:57 PM

I would start with the CB.......if you've got a pair, call USDA and the FDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Be strong. companies like this one shouldn't be in business


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


rosebud

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Posted 15 March 2018 - 12:02 AM

I would start with the CB.......if you've got a pair, call USDA and the FDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Be strong. companies like this one shouldn't be in business

What is CB?



MsMars

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Posted 15 March 2018 - 11:32 AM

What is CB?

 

CB - Certifying Body (SQF)



rosebud

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Posted 15 March 2018 - 07:20 PM

How do I find out if we are USDA inspected. I am really at a loss of where to go or what actions to take.

 

This seems like a challenge and I've invested so much time thus far on this. I want to reiterate that my first post was made in good faith.

 

I don't plan on working here much longer, and I plan to quit eating any products this company handles now.

 

CB - Certifying Body (SQF)



Scampi

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Posted 15 March 2018 - 08:21 PM

https://www.fsis.usd...n/mpi-directory

 

UM you stated that a USDA inspector was in signing off paperwork for export----that means you are usda inspected


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


rosebud

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Posted 15 March 2018 - 08:47 PM

https://www.fsis.usd...n/mpi-directory

 

UM you stated that a USDA inspector was in signing off paperwork for export----that means you are usda inspected

Thanks, so should I contact USDA with what I posted in my initial posting? Should I exclude certain things?



rosebud

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Posted 15 March 2018 - 08:49 PM

We have had auditors come in, I beleive from within the company. And we are notified when they are coming too. We are told to adhere to SOP and what not.

 

It seems like management can notify the associates when they are coming, and then things go back to normal???





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